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East Dundee asked to address parking shortage

East Dundee officials are being asked to address a downtown parking shortage by building a public parking garage on a vacant River Street property.

At a village board meeting Monday, investor Tom Roeser presented preliminary plans for a permanent, two-story parking structure at 110 N. River St., as well as a petition signed by 37 downtown business and property owners supporting the idea.

The roughly $1 million parking garage would hold 115 total parking spaces, Roeser said, noting he is working with site owner Roger Shelton, who also owns the nearby Bandito Barney's Beach Club and Bordello.

"What we have is a significant parking problem here, such that all future growth will come to a stop if you don't do something," Roeser said. "The most efficient thing to do is this, and it is supported by all of the people in this vibrant downtown."

If the village couldn't afford to pay for the structure upfront, Roeser said, he and Shelton would fund the construction costs if the village agreed to eventually purchase it.

Some village officials, however, questioned whether a parking structure on that lot was the most viable option. Trustee Rob Gorman noted the garage would only offer a few dozen more parking spaces than if the village were to simply pave the lot - a much cheaper option.

Regarding the petition, Gorman also wondered whether the stakeholders who signed understood the cost associated with building such a structure.

The fate of the 110 N. River St. property has been up in the air for months. Before Shelton bought it in May, the village considered buying it, creating a temporary parking lot and marketing the site for redevelopment.

The proposed parking garage would have a brick facade, Roeser said, aligning with the look and feel of other downtown buildings. Because the property sits on an incline, the entrance to the ground floor would be off River Street, and access to the top floor would be off Jackson Street.

Village President Lael Miller said the village will continue discussions about the proposal and will also analyze a parking survey expected to be complete this week.

"The difficulty I have with this plan - and I'm not opposed to it - is we need to maximize the amount of parking spots we have here," Miller said. "We need to do it in a cost efficient way."

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